Port Lympne Hotel listed at the top of Condé Nast Traveller’s list of the UK’s best winter hotels
Travel experts have named two Kent hotels as the best winter stays in the UK to spend time at this Christmas. It comes as Condé Nast Traveller recently ranked its favourite places for a festive getaway while staying close to home.
Editors who were involved in the decision said the list has come about with renewed energy following a few years of “subdued celebrations”. They said that this year festive parties will be bigger, Christmas lights will be brighter, and hotels are set to pull out all the stops to create a “truly magical experience.”
Two destinations in Kent were picked to feature in the list which also included hotels in London and The Cotswolds – one of the Kent choices even claimed top spot. Port Lympe was chosen first by CN Traveller’s editors who described it as a “country escape that feels a world away from the UK”.
Spend Christmas with the beautiful lion pride at Lion Lodge: Port Lympne’s most exclusive and in-demand accommodation. The first of its kind worldwide, Lion Lodge offers a truly unique experience, allowing you to sleep in a stylish timber lodge just inches from the lions’ habitat.
Open your eyes on Christmas morning to the sound of a lion’s roar and see these majestic creatures greeting you at the window. Spend some time getting to know your fierce next-door neighbours before venturing out onto the Reserve for a cosy winter adventure.
“A stay at his Kentish nature reserve is the UK’s answer to taking off on safari for a Christmas getaway – the 600 acres here are home to lions, tigers, bears, and giraffes at which to gaze during a bracing tour.” The reviewers added: “Christmas Eve supper at The Garden Room is followed by mince pies and a visit from Father Christmas.
“On Christmas morning presents are opened in bed, with breakfast hampers delivered to bedrooms, and during the afternoon there’s live music for making merry.” People who have stayed at Port Lympne before have vowed to return and praised it for a “luxurious” feel.
The Pig at Bridge Place was also chosen by the travel experts at Condé Nast who said it is the “sexiest Pig hotel”. There are eight luxury stays on offer from the group which was named the AA’s Hotel Group of the year for 2022.
